Hecla Mine

Past Producer in Shoshone county in Idaho, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10078357
MRDS ID W026649
Record type Site
Current site name Hecla Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Geographic coordinates: Elevation UTM Precision Relative position Point location
-115.81742, 47.51847 (WGS84) 1175 On south side of Canyon Creek at Burke
(click for info)
-115.81742, 47.51847 (WGS84) 1154 On south side of Canyon Creek at south end of Burke

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shoshone(county)

Idaho(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Burke(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Thompson Falls(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wallace(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork Coeur d'Alene(hydrologic unit)

Spokane(hydrologic accounting unit)

Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Idaho Shoshone

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Boise 048N 005E 09,10,15 Idaho

Comments on the location information

  • ON SECTION LINE S/2, SEC'S 9 & 10

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Gold Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • IN THE REX-SNOWSTORM MINERAL BELT

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Cerussite Ore
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Pyromorphite Trace
Boulangerite Trace
Covellite Trace

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Burke Formation
    Rock description Burke Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
    Rock unit name Upper Prichard Formation
    Rock description Upper Prichard Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -115.81742, 47.51847
(2) -115.81742, 47.51847

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Host fault for the Hecla vein is a feather joint off a N-S shear, part of system of N-S shears that connect the Osburn and Thompson Pass faults.

Ore body information

  • Name Hecla
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike N 62 DEG W
    Dip 80N
    Thickness 1257M
    Length 396M
    Width 12M
  • Name Hecla B
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 70-80NE
    Dip 70-80NE
    Thickness 259
    Length 152
  • Name Ore-Or-No-Go
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 75NE
    Dip 75NE
    Thickness 469
    Length 91
  • Name Magazine
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 70-80NE
    Dip 70-80NE
    Thickness 214
    Length 79
  • Name East Hecla (Russell)
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 70SE
    Dip 70SE
    Thickness 531
    Length 76
    Width 6
    Depth to top 0
    Depth to bottom 440
  • Name East Hecla 74
    General form PINCH AND SWELL
    Strike 75SW
    Dip 75SW
    Thickness 658
    Length 183
    Width 4

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intersection of faults with favorable stratigraphy

Comments on the geologic information

  • BURKE FORMATION BEDS STRIKE NW, DIP 80 DEG NE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1885
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Waste Rock
Year of first production 1897
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation
Production years 1898-1951

Mining district

District name Lelande

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Hecla Mining Co. (Golconda ?)
    Interest 100
    Home office Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    First year 1891

Production statistics

  • Year 1983
    Period 1898-1969
    Material Ore Treated
    Ore mined 6973501mt
    Accuracy Accurate
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Silver Silver 1269mt 195g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • Production data from Mitchell and Bennett (1983) using data reported to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Grade data from Long (1998).

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ITEM 2 GIVES HECLA'S SHARE OF RESERVES FROM SUNSHINE MINE IN 1968 . HECLA'S SHARE OF 1968 RESERVES FROM STAR - MORNING UNIT AREA GIVEN IN ITEM 3

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Name of workings Total workings
    Length 38500M
    Overall depth 1100M

Comments on development

  • 100 PATENTED, 19 UNPATENTED CLAIMS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit HECLA OWNS MAJOR INTEREST IN LUCKY FRIDAY, SUNSHINE UNIT AREA, SILVER SUMMIT, STAR UNIT AREA, AND MAYFLOWER MINE.
Deposit 6 MAIN ORE SHOOTS: HECLA, HECLA B, ORE-OR-NO-GO, MAGAZINE, EAST HECLA, EAST HECLA 74 . DEPTHS TO TOP, BOTTOM, ABOVE, EXPRESSED IN ELEVATION ON HECLA VEIN

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1975 Miller, Pat J. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 17-OCT-1990 Kauffman, John D. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 08-MAR-2005 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references